Used cup packing means



Jan- 25, 1955 s. D. PoLsEN ETAL. 2,700,333

USED CUP PACKING MEANS A TTORNEY S. D. POLSEN ET AL.

USED CUP PACKING MEANS Jan. 25, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 2, 1950gli INVENToRs. EVEN H NELSII 5A "L PULSEN United States Patent USED CUPPACKING MEANS Samuel D. Polsen and Sven H. Nelson, Fairfield, Conn.

Application November 2, 1950, Serial No. 193,578

3 Claims. (Cl. 100-229) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in vending machines and has particular relation to a meansfor packing into a relatively small package or bundle a very largenumber of the paper cups employed with liquid or drink vending machines.

An object of the invention is to provide a used paper cup packing meansin association with a liquid vending 0r dispensing machine, the packingmeans being automatically operated by the vending machine andfunctioning to compact or compress a large number of used paper cupsinto a relatively small package, the mechanism and arrangement of theparts being such that a rigid or incompressible article which may bediscarded in the machine will not cause any breakage therein or anyjamming of the parts.

Another object is to provide in a liquid or drink vending machine amechanism for the purpose described and which mechanism is of simple andinexpensive construction, reliable in operation and including anarrangement whereby a bundle or package of compressed used cups may beeasily removed from the machine as a single package or bundle, i. e., aunit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent froma consideration of the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactoryembodiment of the invention is shown. However, it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includesall such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section showingthe means of the invention, the view being taken as along the plane ofthe line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a similar view but at right angles to Fig. l and taken alongthe plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l showing the packing mechanism inextended position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken along the line 4 4 ofFig. l;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view showing the coupling mechanismillustrated in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken along the line 6-.6 ofFig. l.

Referring in detail to the drawings, at 10 is generally indicated aportion of a cabinet which preferably is the cabinet of a milk or otherdrink vending or dispensing means such, for example, as that disclosedin Patent No. 2,426,707 of September 2, 1947, or in our Patent No.2,354,349 of July 25, 1944. Such cabinet includes a lateral extension11. Extension 11 refers to that portion of the cabinet laterally of awall 12 and which extension, at the front of the cabinet, is defined bya wall 13 substantially normal to the wall or partition 12. Normally,this extension in its side opposite the wall 12 is adapted to be closedby a door (not shown) one edge of such 1door opening being closed as bya wall portion 14 in In the present instance, a driving shaft 15, whichmay be and preferably is the shaft 45 of our application Serial Number598,110, filed June 7, 1945, now Patent 2,556,739, has mounted on itsfree end portion a small gear 16. This gear is fast with the shaft 15and is actually located at the outer side of the Wall 12 within theextension or space 11. Shaft 15 is driven by a motor 17 disposed on asuitable base 18 located on the upper side of a top wall 2,700,333Patented Jan. 25, 1955 ICC 19, the latter being at the upper end of thewall 12 and extending inwardly thereof. Motor 17, through its shaft 20,drives a worm (not shown) within a housing 21 and such worm meshes withand drives a worm gear (not shown) fixed on the shaft 15 within saidhousing. Thus, housing 21 encloses a reduction gearing.

In its forward wall portion 13 the cabinet extension 11 is provided witha relatively small doorway or opening normally closed by a door 22hinged toward its upper edge as at 23 and adapted to be pushed inwardlyto permit of the insertion of a used paper cup into the cabinetextension 11 through said doorway. In this connection it is noted thatthe machines disclosed in the above identified application for patentand the patents are vending or dispensing machines of the type designedto dispense milk or other liquid.

According to the plan, the machines dispense this liquid into paper cupswhich are also supplied by the machine and in the present instance weare seeking to provide for the sanitary and economical disposal of theseused paper cups. These cups are somewhat bulky and unless telescoped orstacked one within the other are in their normal condition such as tooccupy considerable space and such that a few cups will occupy arelatively large space.

According to the present invention, the used cups will be automaticallypacked by the machine so that they will occupy a relatively small spaceand they will be packed in a paper bag or other inexpensive anddisposable container whereby a large number of the used cups may, as asingle unit or package, be removed from the machine.

A person having used a cup merely pushes the same through the doorwaynormally closed by the hinged door 22 and as this door is hung from itsupper end or edge, it is designed to gravitate to closed position,although it may lbe provided with a spring means for normallymaintaining it closed land for returning it to closed condition whenmoved therefrom and released.

In the lower portion of the cabinet extension 11 is a metal receptacle24. This receptacle is shown as relatively rectangular in any sectionand including a bottom wall 25, end walls 26 and 27, side walls 28 and29, and open at its upper end 30. Within the receptacle 24 is a paper orother disposable container 31, such as a paper bag or the like. Thispaper bag 31 is preferably of a shape to it within the receptacle 24with its bot-v tom, edge and side walls lying against the correspondingwalls of the container 24. However, the bag is also preferably of aheight greater than that of the receptacle 24 and thus has its upper endor edge portion folded over the upper edges or ends of the edge and endWalls of the metal receptacle 24 as at 32.

The receptacle 24 may be outside the cabinetextension 11 when the bag 31is placed in such receptacle and the upper edge portions of the bagfolded over the upper edge portions of the receptacle 24. Then thereceptacle is placed within the extension 11 and is of a width to fittherein, as best shown in Fig. 2, and is of a height to have its upperend disposed below the small doorway above referred to and which isnormally closed by the hinged door 22. Before the receptacle is placedwithin the cabinet extension, a metal clip 33 including an inner portion34 and a shorter outer portion 35 is slipped over the folded portion ofthe bag 31 and the upper edge of the end wall 27 of the receptacleanchoring such bag poltion in its relation folded over the upper edge ofsaid wa Somewhat similarly, a device 36 is slipped over the foldedportion of the bag which portion is folded over the wall 26 of the metalreceptacle. Device 36 includes `an outer arm or lip 37 disposed at theouter side of the receptacle and inwardly of the receptacle an inclinedwall portion 38 is held in such relation by a foot portion 39 bearingagainst that portion of the bag 31 which lines the inner side of thewall 26 of the metal receptacle. From what has been said, it will beunderstood that the receptacle 24 with the paper inner bag or lining 31is located in the extension 11 in position to have used cups insertedthrough the doorway closed by the door 22, drop into the receptacle.

Means are provided for packing these used cups and particularly forpacking them in the paper or other bag 31 so that on removal of said bagfrom a metal receptacle, after clip 33 andv element36 are removed, thebag may be withdrawn from the receptacle together with the used cups andthe upper end portions of the bag folded over the packed cups so theyare all contained in a unit to be taken to an incinerator or to beotherwise disposed of. Such a bag may contain a great many cups whenthey are packed according to the present invention and as willhereinafter appear.

The packing means is operated by the motor 17. As explained above, whenthis motor is in operation it is driving the small gear 16 which isfixed to the shaft 15 geared to the shaft 20 of the motor. A short orstub shaft Litimounts a somewhat larger gear 41 constantly meshing withthe gear 16 and having fixed to it a crank arm 42. At its outer end thiscrank arm mounts a pivot pin 43 on which is turnable a lug 44. Passingthrough and turnable in this lug is a pin 45, the axis of which isnor-mal to the axis of the pivot pin 43. A bifurcated member 46 has itsarms receiving end portions of the pin 45 whereby such member is pivotedto the lug 44 for swinging movement about an axis represented by thelongitudinal center line of the pin.

Rigidly fixed to the bifurcated member or head 46 as by a pin, screw orthe like 47, is a lever-like member 4S comprising the upper member of anadjustable pitman. generally designated 49. Element 4S comprises a pieceof flat stock and along one longitudinal edge is provided with a seriesof notches t), four such notches being shown. The lower end portion ofthe member 48 is received in a flat tubular vmernber 51' comprising theother part of the mentioned adjustable pitman 49. Carried by the upperportion of the member 5i is a latch device or connecting means generallydesignated 52 and more particularly disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5.

This device includes a rectangular housing portion 53 located about theupper end portion of the at tubular member Si and secured thereto as bymeans of a screw 54, although it will be understood that these parts maybe secured together by other means or in some other manner. A smallhandle-like or finger portion or element 55 carries a stud S6 passinginto and through the body 53 and pivotally mounting such element 55 onthe body. At its end opposite element 55, stud 56 is anchored by meansof a screw 57 passing through a metal washer 58 and a leather or othercompressible washer 59 and threaded into the stud. This compressiblewasher 59 is to prevent loosening of the screw due to vibration in themachine.

Eccentric with respect to the stud 56 is a locking pin 6)iturnable withthe said stud and when the finger elementSS is in the position shown inthe drawings located in one of the notches 50 of the pitman member 48whereby the pitman members 48 and 51 are locked together. On swinging ofthe finger piece 55 in a clockwise direction with the stud 56 as anaxis, the locking stud or pin 60 is carried out of a notch 50 and thenthe members may be moved relatively downwardly or upwardly so thatthemembers 43 and 51 telescope less or telescope more whereby to change thelength of the pitman 49. Thus, it will be clear that'after the lockingdevice 52 is released from the lowerrnost notch 5d of the member 48 andthat member and member 51 telescoped to a considerable extent, thelocking element may be manipu- "i lated to engage its locking pin 6* inthe uppermost of the notches 50 thereby making a relatively shortpitman. Contrariwise, thereafter on release of the locking element fromthe uppermost of said notches 50 and the shifting downwardly of thepitman element 51 so that the locking f means is engaged with thelowermost of the notches 59, the pitman will be in its maximum length.

Rigidly xed to the lower end of the pitman and specically to the lowerend of the pitman member 51 is a crusher foot, generally designated 6i.This crusher foot 61 includes a bottom substantially horizontal portion62 fixed to the pitman member 51 as by rivets or the like 63 and thenthe crusher foot, toward its forward end, includes an upwardly inclinedportion 64. Generally, the length of the crusher foot measured along itsportion 62 is lessthan the distance betr-.veen the end -wails 26 and 27of the receptacle 22. However, the width of the mentioned portion of thecrusher foot is substantially equal to the distance between the sideVwalls 28 and 29 ofthe container.

Toward its lower end, the pitman member 51 passes between a pair ofrollers 65 and 66 rotatably mounted by studs 67 on a head-like portion68 of a bracket 69. In addition to head portion 68, bracket 69 includesan arm portion 74B and a plate portion 71. Head 68 and plate portion 7lare located at the respective opposite ends of the arm 70 of the bracket69. A channel-like guide means 72 is fixed to the wall 12 by screws orthe like '73 and plate '71 of the mentioned bracket is received in thisguide member with its edge portion located in channels in such member.This is all as best illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawing.

lt will be seen from an inspection of the drawings that the screws 73are at the upper and lower ends of the guide means 72 and that theirheads proiect into the channel in which plate 71 is slidable. However,the bracket 69 is otherwise unsupported and so it may be raised andlowered in the guide member within the limitation provided by the headsof the screws 73. When the mechanism is in use, this bracket occupiesits lowermost position relative to the guide member, as illustrated inFigs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings.

Normally, the pitman is extended as in the drawings. A person, todispose of a used paper cup, merely pushes the same through the doorwaywhich is normally closed by the door 22. The cup falls and attempts toenter the receptacle 24. However, when the machine is in use, theuppermost position of the crank 42 does not result in the crusher foot61 being withdrawn entirely from or through the open upper end 39 of thereceptacle 24. In operation of the mechanism, the uppermost position ofthe crusher foot is that shown in Fig. l. Thus, it will be seen that acup 74 having been inserted through the mentioned doorway falls to aposition between the inclined portion or wall 38 of the device 36 andthe upwardly inclined portion 64 of the crusher foot. The latter beingin its uppermost position, its next motion must be to descend and as itdescends with the pitman,

the crusher foot does notV move downwardly with its bottom 62 in ahorizontal position.

The crank pin 43 is offset with relation to the guide 72 and thus thepitman, in addition to being moved up and down between the rollers 65and 66, is rocked laterally as the pin 43 moves across from one side tothe other of a center line running through the shaft 40 and the guide72. Thus, the crusher foot is moved up and down and is given a sort ofrocking movement, one extreme of which is shown in Fig. 3. As thecrusher foot moves down from the position of Fig. l, the cup 74 will, ofcourse, move down and at approximately the end of the downward movementof the crusher foot the cup is substantially crushed or folded as inFig. 3. Beyond this movement, as the crank pin 43 comes into the centerline mentioned, the crusher foot is further rocked to dispose its bottom62 in substantially horizontal position L'somewhat further folding orcrushing the cup and then as the crusher foot moves upwardly, it isrocked in the opposite direction, or to an opposite angle to that ofFig. 3, as it is drawn upwardly and the cup falls to a position withinthe bag 31 and below the crusher foot.

Each time the machine .is operated (as disclosed in our above identifiedapplication Serial Number 598,110) the crank arm 42 is operated and thecrusher foot is reciprocated upwardly and downwardly crushing a cup sothat it may fall to a position under the crusher foot and then, onsubsequent downward movement, the crusher foot presses this cup intothose already in the bag 31. As the downward movement of the crusherfoot is limited, it will be seen that when a new bag is placed in thereceptacle 24, a considerable number of used cups may be received in thebag before the crusher foot performs any packing function, it at thistime servino only to fold the cups, as the cup 74 is folded in Fig. J.Then, as the number of cups builds up in the bag, the crusher foot atthe lower limit of its movement begins to engage and pack these cupsmaking room for other cups. After the bag is partially lled, assuggested by the cups 75 in Figs. l, 2 and 3, newv cups are packed andthe packing or pressing downwardly on the new cups serves to pack andcompress the entire package.V

The dispensing Vmachine above mentioned will ybe equipped with .alimited number of cups far below the capacity of the'bag 31. and it isthe plan that each time new cupsare placed inthe machine and a newsupplyof liquidis placed in' themachine, lbag v31 and its contents willbe removed from the machine. Thus, a condition wherein the presentmechanism can no longer pack the cups will never be reached. When a bag31 is to be removed from the receptacle, the operator swings the ngerpiece 55 of the latch mechanism 52 in a clockwise direction, releasingthe pin from one of the notches 50 and then he slides the pitman member51 upwardly into further telescopic relation with the pitman member 48and swings the finger member back to dispose pin 60 in the upper or inthe uppermost of the notches 50. This locks the pitman members 48 and 50in fully telescopic relation drawing the crusher foot upwardly out ofthe receptacle 24 and the bag 31.

Now the receptacle and bag may both be lifted out of the cabinetextension portion 11, whereupon clip 33 and device 36 are removed andthe bag lifted out of the receptacle. Thereafter, the upper portions ofthe bag are folded to closed position and all used cups are removed in apackage or as a single unit. Additionally, these used cups are packed orcompressed into a sort of bale so that a great many cups are easilyhandled and occupy a very small space on a disposal truck or the like.

After the bag of used cups is removed, the attendant places a new bag inthe receptacle with the upper edge portions 32 of such bag folded overthe upper edge port.

tions of the receptacle and reapplies clip 33 and device 36 and placesthe receptacle and bag in the cabinet extension 11. Thereafter, hereleases the latch device 52, lowering the crusher foot 61 and extendingor adjusting downwardly the pitman members 48 and 51 and reverses thelock means to engage its pin 60 in the lowermost of the notches 50whereupon the pitman is the full length and the pack* ing means of theinvention is ready to operate whenever the machine is again set inmotion.

Having thus set forth the nature of our invention, what we claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a cabinet having adoorway for the insertion into the cabinet of used paper cups and havinga vertically disposed receptacle receiving space below said doorwayhaving a laterally open side, a receptacle laterally movable into andout of said space through said open side and having vertical side wallsand an open upper end normally disposed below said doorway in positionto have paper cups inserted through said doorway drop therein, a drivenshaft above said receptacle receiving space, a crank arm rotated by saidshaft, a pitman pivotally connected at its upper end with said crank armfor up and down movement, a crusher foot on the lower end of said pitmandisposed within said receptacle below its upper end in both the up anddown positions of said pitman, said pitman comprising relativelylongitudinally adjustable members whereby the pitman is adjustable froman extended operating condition in which said crusher foot is below theupper end of said receptacle to a non-operating shortened condition inwhich said crusher foot is located above said receptacle to permitlateral movement thereof into and out of said receptacle receivingspace.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a cabinet having adoorway for the insertion into the cabinet of used paper cups, areceptacle in said cabinet having Vertical side walls and an open upperend normally disposed below said doorway and having one side wallpositioned adjacent said doorway to have paper cups inserted throughsaid doorway drop into said receptacle, a driven shaft above saidreceptacle, a crank arm rotated by said shaft, a pitman pivotallyconnected at its upper end with said crank arm, a crusher foot rigidlyconnected on the lower end of said pitman and movable by the latter upand down in the upper portion of said container as said l crum for saidpitman at a point below said shaft whereby not only is said crusher footraised and lowered by the pitman as the crank arm is rotated but saidcrusher foot is rocked to have its inclined front piece incline awayfrom the mentioned inside means and then incline towards parallelrelation with said means as the pivotal connection between the crank armand upper end of the pitman moves to one side and then the other of aline pass-v ing through said shaft and the center of said fulcrum.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a cabinet having adoorway for the insertion into the cabinet of used paper cups, the spacein the cabinet below the doorway being adapted to contain a receptacle,one wall of the cabinet below the doorway being provided with an openingto permit the insertion and removal of the receptacle; a receptaclelaterally movable into and out of said space through said opening andhaving vertical side walls and an open upper end normally disposed belowsaid doorway in position to have paper cups inserted through saiddoorway drop therein, a driven shaft above said receptacle receivingspace, a crank arm rotated by said shaft, a pitman pivotally connectedat its upper end with said crank arm for up and down movement, a crusherfoot rigidly connected on the lower end of said pitman disposed withinsaid receptacle below its upper end in both the up and down position ofsaid pitman, said pitman being rigid between its pivot connection withsaid crank arm and said crusher foot, a fulcrurn device including a pairof spaced guide rollers between which said pitman passes and by whichthe latter is guided whereby not only is said crusher foot raised andlowered by the pitman as the crank arm is rotated but said crusher footis rocked within said receptacle, said pitman comprising relativelylongitudinally adjustable members whereby the pitman is adjustable froman extended operating condition in which said crusher foot is movedbelow the upper end of said receptacle to a non-operating shortenedcondition in which said crusher foot is located above said receptacle topermit lateral movement thereof into and out of said receptaclereceiving space, a mounting means immediately above the upper edge ofsaid receptacle, said fulcrum device mounted by said mounting means andhaving an operating position at the lower end thereof, and said fulcrumdevice being vertically slidable on said mounting means to a raisedposition to permit of said adjustment of the pitman to a non-operatingshortened condition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS863,374 Gamel et al Aug. 13, 1907 1,578,037 Jourdan Mar. 23, 19262,354,349 Polsen et al. Iuly 25, 1944 2,493,193 Hait Ian. 3, 19502,497,319 Mott Feb. 14, 1950 2,591,510 Clark Apr. 1, 1952 FOREIGNPATENTS 573,198 France June 19, 1924

